Good Friday

The Friday of Holy Week is called “Good Friday” only because we know the rest of the story. The death of Jesus on the cross when dramatically portrayed allows us to identify with the pain and suffering.  Yet the reality of that horrible event points to a great truth. Death does not have the final word. Easter is the answer to the cruelty of crucifixion on the cross. 

Good Friday plays a prominent role in Holy Week because it causes us to consider the cross and what it means for our lives as a people of faith. United Methodist pastor, Adam Hamilton reminds us that the cross represents “a divine love story centered on a God who suffered to save the human race.”  The cross is about selfless and sacrificial love.  It defines the gospel and explains the most popular verse in the entire New Testament: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” (John 3:16)

The cross is not only Jesus’ story, but our own. It reminds us that forgiveness is a part of God’s story told from the cross. As the central symbol of Christianity, it points to hope in times of despair, and leads to gratitude for God’s mighty acts on our behalf. The cross represents redemption, and points to the possibility of new beginnings, little resurrections in this life , that allow us to have a fresh start in spite of our failures and shortcomings. The cross points the way to the paths we are to follow through acts of love and kindness. And the cross symbolizes the promise that awaits us at the end of this earthly journey when, like Jesus, our “good Friday” becomes “Easter.”

Holy Week

What we’ve come to call “Holy Week” is here. A friend said she grew up calling this week “Quiet Week.” This week before the celebration of Christ’s resurrection is a time for quiet reflection and contemplation on matters of life and death. We consider Jesus' life lived in love and compassion. We note in the gospels the events of Jesus’ last week of earthly life: the places he went, the people he chose to spend time with, his actions, his final words to his disciples that still live on in the lives of his followers today. And we, too, encounter the meaning of the cross.

All of this prepares us for Easter and the glorious proclamation that continues to be the central message of the Christian faith: "Christ has risen! He has risen indeed." So let us make this week quiet and holy by reflecting on life and death, the places we need to go, the people we need to spend time with, the words we need to say. May the message of the resurrection find expression through us in all we say and do. Holy Week is here. Blessings abound!

Hurry Up and Wait

Wikipedia defines "hurry up and wait" as any scenario where part of the time you are rushing and working very hard and part of the time you are waiting around and prepared to work on demand when needed.  The expression seems to have originated from movie productions where most of the crew sit around watching the film director and actors until their services are needed and they rush to do what is necessary to get ready for the next part of the production.

I’m sure you have had such “hurry up and wait” experiences. You rush to make an appointment on time only to find that you have to wait.  It most frequently happens in doctors and dentists offices, but happens in stores, too.  When you’re ready to check out with only a few items, you get in the express line and find that the person ahead you has more than the limited number of items or has a problem with a credit card! 

I confess.  I do not like waiting.  Waiting calls for patience, something I don’t have a lot of. I have to constantly work on being patient. This is a spiritual challenge and a growing edge toward more faith-filled living. 

The Bible is full of references to patience. The Psalmist wrote these words: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14); “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” (Psalm 37:7) Scriptures also challenge us with such words as these: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another” (Colossians 3:12-13);   “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:11-12 ) 

According to scriptures, patience is a “virtue” and a sign of the “fruit of the spirit.” Practicing patience is not an elective, but a requirement for a lifestyle of faithful living. I am not there yet, but I take some comfort in knowing that I am always a work in progress, grateful for God’s abundant patience with me.  Challenged by life’s “hurry up and wait” moments I strive to be more patient by seeking and claiming that spiritual gift.

Saint Francis de Sales expressed the challenge this way:  “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day, begin the task anew.”  Good advice as we deal with the “hurry up and wait” experiences of life!

A New Year

I have just hung a 2013 calendar on the wall.  It currently has no appointments recorded in the spaces and only indicates the special days and holidays. I’m wondering what this new year will hold.  What will fill the empty spaces on my personal calendar that records another chapter of my life and what transformational events await?  What decisions will I make, actions will I take that will impact others? There is no crystal ball upon which to gaze, for life is filled with uncertainties.

It has been said, “Life is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present.” As a new year begins we need to acknowledge the gift that every day represents and consider how to use our gift(s) to the fullest.  The idea of developing a list of “resolutions” this time of year causes us to consider what we want to do differently – how we want to live life more fully.  While resolutions may be helpful, I find that they rarely last.  I believe a new year challenges us with a more important exercise, as we address this question:  “What more do we want to accomplish?” For me this is a faith question that challenges me to examine my life in relationship to the Presence offered through faith.

An elderly church member once told me about her prayer life.  She indicated that she began each day in prayer by asking, “Lord, what would you have me do today?” We begin to find an answer to that question when we pause from the ordinary and routine, and the demands and expectations imposed upon us to listen for the ”still small voice” as God speaks. 

 

We are never too old to dream dreams of a preferred future and our role in it.  Indeed, the new year ushers in the beginning of another chapter of our individual legacies.  My hope is that each of us will enter this coming New Year with assurance that God goes before us preparing the way, and still offers us guidance and strength to face each day.  As we respond to the opportunities of faith living, may we be found faithful.    

When Christmas Comes

When Christmas comes, we embrace the angelic message of what God has done on our behalf.  We seek to live the "Christ message" and reflect the light of Christ in a dark world.  Christmas reminds us that Jesus' purpose in life was to address the needs of others. When Christmas comes, we think more about others needs than ourselves, and focus on giving, rather than receiving. Christmas comes when we open our hearts to the transforming power of God's love.

When Christmas comes, it holds more than the "merriness" of seasonal parties and personal pleasures. When Christmas comes, family and relationships with friends have deeper meaning and the sight of children and loved ones opening presents becomes special.  Memorable moments are created:  joy, laughter, fulfillment and calm within our souls.  When Christmas comes, it doesn't mean all is right with the world, but that all is better in "our world."  It doesn't mean we will always experience "silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright," but that there will be glimmers of light at the end of the sometimes dark tunnels of our journey.

 

Christmas comes whenever we have hope in times of despair, experience calm in times of anxiety, allow the gift of peace to overcome times of distress and discord, find joy in life's blessings, and replace indifference with acts of love and compassion.  Christmas comes when we keep faith with the dream of "peace on earth, good will toward all."   May Christmas come for you every day!      

The Promise

In this age of self-reliance, high tech, and constant desire for possessions, it's difficult for the historic “Christ event” to touch people's lives with meaning. Yet in times as these the story of the birth of Jesus once again attempts to penetrate and illumine lives. It is even difficult for people of faith to stay focused on the reason for the season and not succumb to the “ways of the world” and the commercialization that attempts to drown out the real message.

The story of Christmas begins in the Old Testament with the prophets proclaiming hope and expectancy that one day the Messiah would come. Once again we celebrate that fulfilled promise. The miracle of God’s love was revealed in the birth of a child in Bethlehem. The Apostle John expressed it this way: “The word became a human being and lived among us, full of grace and truth. And we have beheld his glory.” The good news is that God’s promise to humanity has been fulfilled for all time!

During Advent we prepare to celebrate the fulfillment of God's greatest promise. As we celebrate, our hope is that Christ will be born anew in our hearts as we claim God’s promise through faith. The focus of this season isn't about our agenda, but God's agenda for us. It's not about what we want, but what God wants for us. It's not even about what we do, but what God has already done on our behalf. The promise is best expressed in the word Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

Perhaps an expression from a modern Christmas story sums it up best. A youngster playing the part of the angel announces Jesus’ birth with genuine excitement says, “Boy, have I got good news for you! God has kept his promise.”

As we observe this Advent/Christmas season, let us continue to do so in hope and expectancy, so that the miracle of Christmas can happen once again in our lives. May the light of Christ shine brightly before us to illumine our paths, and through us, so that those who walk in darkness may see the light of Christ and discover the hope, peace, joy and love which Christmas offers.

Counting Blessings

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done.” These words are from the chorus of a hymn popular many years ago. The hymn, “Count Your Blessings,” was written by a Methodist preacher, Johnson Oatman at the end of the 19th century. “Count your Blessings” is not only a hymn, but it is the story of our biblical heritage as a people of faith and a part of our nation’s history. 

Consider for a moment our biblical heritage which includes counting blessings and offering thanks to God.  As a people of the Judeo-Christian heritage our roots are deep with the tradition of giving thanks. Noah, landing after the flood, offered a prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance.  Nehemiah records that when the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated, “they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced in thanks-giving.” The Book of Judges tells of the feast of the ingathering where “they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyard and held festival, and went into the house of their God and ate and drank.” The Jewish festival of Passover became a time of grateful remembrance and thanksgiving for God’s act of deliverance.  Many of the Psalms are expressions of thanksgiving and gratitude to God.

Consider also for a moment our nation’s heritage which includes counting blessings and acts of thanksgiving.  Historical records indicate that our founding fathers and mothers celebrated a day of thanksgiving at the Berkley Plantation in nearby Charles City County, VA and also in New England in Massachusetts.

One story especially is worth repeating. When the Pilgrims of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settled in the new land, during the first dreadful winter half of their number died.  While they did not know what their future held, they did know Who held their future and as religious people they faced each day in hope.  In the summer of 1621 there was a bountiful harvest of corn.  Gov. William Bradford decreed that a three-day feast be held beginning Dec. 12. Thus began a day of thanksgiving set aside for the purpose of prayer and celebration.  A custom of placing 5 grains of corn by each plate was observed as a reminder of the hardships of their first winter, when food was so scarce that each person was rationed 5 grains of corn.  That custom continues in many homes today, especially in New England.   

As one studies early American history it become obvious that the early settles and forefathers of our nation expressed thanksgiving and their gratitude to God daily rather than once a year.  Observing Thanksgiving Day is not simply about a national holiday as a single occasion for giving thanks, but a religious celebration in response to God’s blessings.  The holiday simply helps us as a people of faith focus on the importance of giving thanks as a way of life. Thanksgiving is the proper response for persons who have experienced God’s blessings, least we forget and take our blessings for granted.

Perhaps the danger of our age is that too often we take even the simplest of life’s blessings for granted. The gospel of Luke tells a story of ten lepers who received a special blessing from Jesus, but nine failed to offer thanks. They were in such a hurry to get on with their lives that they didn’t take time to be thankful.  I can relate to that story, can’t you?  We live in a “hurry-up world” that often fails to include taking time for remembering, reflecting, and responding in thanksgiving.

Let’s face it.  Our tendency is to accept life’s blessing as the norm in life.  Yet the Psalmist reminds us that “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” (Ps.92:1)  The Apostle Paul makes the point even stronger in these words to the Church in Thessalonica: “give thanks in all circumstances.  Not just in good times, but difficult times also!   To respond in thanksgiving is to acknowledge and identify with the giver. To give thanks for everything, is to trust God with all things!  The attitude of gratitude lies at the heart of true thanksgiving.

As a holiday, Thanksgiving Day will come and go, but the message will remain.  It is the responsibility of who really understand what true thanksgiving is to share the message in regular acts of thanksgiving through a lifestyle of thanks-living.

My hope for all of us as we observe Thanksgiving Day and every day is that we will not take for granted even the simplest expression of God’s grace and love. Let us count our blessings! And let’s not forget the four magic words and join people of faith of every age and generation in saying, “I thank you, Lord.”